Category Archives: DIY

Love a Matcha Latte but have no love for dropping stacks of cash each week on getting them from your local coffee shop?… I’d fallen in love with the Starbucks Matcha Latte a couple years back… now I’ve not been drinking much tea as I’ve been pregnant the last 8 months as I am far too nervous about caffeine intake, but as my pregnancy is nearing the end I’ve learned how to make a matcha latte at home with the help of the darling Shelley from Totalitea… seriously for the price of a couple coffee shop matcha lattes you can get all of the supplies you need to make plenty a matcha latte at home!

disclaimer: I received product in exchange for this DIY post collaboration with Totalitea… but guess what!? I love matcha lattes and have been wanting to create a do it yourself post on how to make a matcha latte at home to share with you for some time now… who doesn’t like to save money and still have a tasty cuppa every morning!? When Shelley approached me to talk tea I was onboard to learn and share about matcha lattes, and to also share a really great LOCAL company with you all!

I visited Shelley at the Calgary Farmer’s Market and she gave me the low down on making a proper cuppa matcha and a matcha latte… we also talked about everything she’s got going on there… about 200 looseleaf teas and blends as the blends fluctuate with the seasons… I admitted to Shelley early on that that I’m pretty boring when it comes to tea… like I’m talking I like a cuppa black tea or an earl grey with milk and sugar… I’m not fancy… and I’ve never really found a herbal that gives me as much comfort as a nice black tea with milk and sugar… perhaps thats the Newfoundlander in me 🙂 On the advice of my Doula I’ve started drinking raspberry leaf tea… which Totalitea also stocks… and on my next trip to the Farmer’s Market I’m going to be picking up some of their Earle grey cream tea to try out…

Totalitea also has a great selection of tea accessories… like this beautiful flower matcha bowl, matcha whisks, tea travel mugs… all great things tea!

Okay lets get to the Matcha Latte!

Ingredients

Matcha Powder – I’m a purist… lol… Totalitea offers a variety of flavored matcha powders but I love a plain ol Matcha latte so I’m working with their straight matcha powder for this recipe. Their Matcha is the real deal… it’s Chinese origin, First Flush (meaning that it is picked first in the Spring) Grade A, and certified organic by Pro-Cert! Then there are 10-12 different flavoured Matchas to chose from, some of the flavours vary with the seasons… so you have many tasty options to choose from!

Almond Milk – I’ve been avoiding too much dairy intake now for quite some time, and I’m not super keen on soy, so unsweetened almond milk it is… but whatever milk you like will work juuuuust fine. I also make an iced latte below with coconut milk… mmm… whatever milk floats your boat!

Honey – if you want your latte a little sweet try adding some honey… or another sweetener of your choice… agave perhaps? if you are using a flavoured matcha from Totalitea you may not need any sweetener as the flavoured Matcha powder have a little cane sugar in them already… only 4 grams per serving. I recommend making your Matcha latte without additional sweetener at first… then add your sweetener of choice to taste if you like your drinks a little sweeter!

Water

Tools

Matcha Bowl / Small Mixing Bowl / Mug

Matcha Whisk / Small Metal Whisk

Tea Kettle

Mug

Microwave / Pot on Stove / Fancy steaming attachment on a fancy coffee maker / Milk warmer and brother – whichever you have that you can use to steam your choice of milk will work

Instructions

Matcha Latte

Start by combining 1 tsp of matcha powder and 0.5 oz of hot water together in a small bowl or you can even do this right in your mug, and then whisk with your bamboo matcha whisk to mix the match powder and the water to create your base…

…fun fact!… the matcha powder doesn’t fully dissolve, rather the powder becomes suspended in the water with your vigorous whisking.

This is your matcha base! If you are working with a flavoured Matcha powder from Totalitea check the packaging to find out how much powder to use… with the flavoured Matchas you usually use a little more powder than just the straight Matcha.

Now fire up the kettle and boil the until it reaches 80 degrees C… if you don’t have a temp controlled kettle, just boil the kettle and let the water sit for 3-4 minutes to cool a little before you use it

Pour your matcha latte base into your mug

Add 1/2 cup of your 80 degree boiled water to your mug with the matcha base mixture that you’ve whisked together and give it a good stirring

Heat/Froth 1/2 cup of milk (of your choice) – I’m going to make an almond milk version and a coconut milk version. If you are using the pure matcha powder you may want to add a little sweetener to your milk when you’re steaming it.

I use unsweetened almond milk so I like to add a little honey to my lattes to sweeten them a little. If you are using one of the Totalitea flavoured Matchas you use a little more powder and you can omit a sweetener as their flavoured Matchas have some organic sugar can in there.

If you don’t have a steamer/frother you can heat your milk on the stove top or microwave. If you want to get your milk frothy you can give it a whip with a small metal whisk, a whizz with a stick blender, or pickup a small stick frother… frothy isn’t necessary but I do love a nice frothy matcha latte. I found a great little milk heater and frother at Home Sense and scooped it up as it will also froth up milk cold!

Once the milk is ready pour it into your cup and you are good to go!

Enjoy that matcha latte!

Now if it’s too warm for you right now you can just as easily whip yourself up a nice Iced Matcha Latte…

Iced Matcha Latte

The iced version is very similar to the hot… Get your glass out and fill it with ice

Mix your matcha base… combine 1 tsp Matcha powder and 0.5oz of hot water and whisk until the Matcha is suspended in the water

Add the Matcha base to your iced glass…

…then add 1/2 cup of cold water, instead of hot…

Froth your cold milk and add your frothy cold milk to your glass… if you’re adding sweetener toss it into the frother with the milk for it to get whizzed into your milk

Now that we’re here follow the words of Bob Marley… stir it up.

Now… if you like your lattes more milky drop the 1/2 cup of water addition to your matcha base and go on and throw in 1 full cup of your milk… for either the hot or cold version!… mmmm… milky Matcha!…

…have fun!… play and tweak!… then come back and let me know how you’ve tweaked this recipe to make it your own! I’m looking forward to trying out your modifications!

I’ve been seeing these designer baskets all over social media lately… after some research I discovered this basket that I’m loving is called a belly basket… but I’m not just talking about the plain janes like in the photo below, though they are great the way they are… I’m talking about the kicked up a notch ones… the ones where the price is also kicked up a few notches… They look incredible with plants placed into them, as blanket storage, or toy storage in a nursery…

Well babes have I got a DIY for you!… a dipped belly basket, and a tassel and pompom adorned belly baskets… ALL for a fraction of the cost of buying from a designer shop!… and these come along with the satisfaction of having made it yourself!

Now are you ready for this?! It’s easy! a total breeze… a quick and satisfying evening or weekend project!

If you don’t have an IKEA in your home town then check them out online – these baskets fold down and are light so even with shipping it will cost you less and you’ll get more baskets for your buck!

These various versions can be done separately or combined on one basket… its totally up to you!… hit up Pinterst for some great belly basket inspiration and get creating!… These would even make great Christmas, Get Well Soon, New Baby, Housewarming packaging… filled up with treats for the recipient!

Pick as many colours and types of yarns as you like… colours to match or contrast your space… whatever you like…

Let me show you how to make a pompom:

Using a medium weight wool I wrapped it around my four fingers 100 times… then cut a long string to tie the loops together at the middle…

Working the cut string between the middle and ring finger, around the back of the yarn at the back of my hand and back through the middle and ring fingers at the top and around to the front to be tied into a tight knot…

Tie a tight knot, leaving the tails of the string long… these tails will come in handy when we secure the pompom to the basket!

Once the loops are tied together in the middle you end up with loops on both sides of the tied string… take your scissors and cut the loops freeing all the pompom strings!…

Now… you even have choice in how your pompoms will look… you can leave the strings long and willy nilly for a more free and whimsical looking pom, or give that pompom a haircut… trimming it all around in a ball to create a neat tight pompom… I’ve got photos of belly baskets with both to show you 🙂

{Remember to leave the long strings long for attaching your pompoms to your baskets!}

Now how to make a yarn tassel:

Using a medium weight yarn I used my four fingers again… but this time only 50 wraps around my hand… and then with a string tie one end of the loops together as you can see at the top of my hand…

Slip the loop off your hand and then tie a second string just down slightly from the string that you tied to capture one end of the loops to create the little tassel top ball…

Then you can free the strings at the bottom by cutting the loops at the bottom of your tassel!…

{Remember to leave the long strings long for attaching your tassels to your baskets!}

I like to prep all my pompoms to the tied up loops point… then cut them all and trim them all in a batch…

Here are my tight and tidy poms…

Here are my whimsical poms…

Now lets get to work with these pompoms to adorn the belly basket!

Now remember that we left the string that tied the pompoms together long to attach them to the basket!?… get out your large yarn needle… and work the ends in between the belly basket weave and tie in a knot on the inside of the basket… That’s it! first pom on!… work as many pompoms onto the basket as you like… around the middle… at the bottom… at the top edge… all over at random… whatever floats your boat!

I worked a line of my tidy pompoms around half of the belly basket right in the the middle…

You can alternate the colours… or mix them up randomly… have fun… if you want to test out the location just tie them onto the basket with bows until you’re happy with the pompom location… then undo the bows, tie knots and cut away any extra string from the inside.

Here is a pompom belly basket for the nursery… stuffed with those adorable JellyCat rabbits… they’re soooo soft!…

Now for the messy pompoms… because these pompoms are bigger I chose to use less of them on the basket… and I spaced them out

As with the tighter pompoms… the tie strings were left long and used to tie the pompoms to the basket through the basket weave…

I do find that these willy nilly pompoms are definitely more whimsical and fun…

Gold leaf sizing and small paint brush if you are working with gold leaf (optional)

I have a couple painters canvasses on hand for when I want to paint furniture in the house… in the winter or a cold or rainy day… they’re a great reusable way to protect your work surfaces.

This one is just as it looks… crack open that can of paint and get to work painting the bottom half of the belly basket… for the dipped look… if you want a full colour basket go to town and paint the whole thing!

I wanted the dipped look so I painted as neatly as I could freehand just under the edge of where the basket folds down.

To make this part a little easier put the basket top down on your work surface and work around the underside of the fold first to give yourself a painted border to work within.

Now after the first coat it the paint might not be as solid as you would like… don’t get the first coat blues… if you want the colour to be solid give the basket a second coat once the first coat dries… see! easy peasy!

I didn’t even “get fancy” and paint the bottom of the basket… it will be sitting on the floor and I just didn’t feel the need to spend the paint on the underside… if you want to paint the bottom, paint the bottom!… there is nothing saying that you shouldn’t or should!… its up to you!

BAM!… once that bad boy is dry you’re good to fill it with goodies and set it up in your home… make sure you let it dry though… some paint will likely seep through the basket weave to the inside of the basket and you wouldn’t want to put things in there before the paint has dried!

Bunnies and blankies in a dipped belly basket!…

Now you know I couldn’t just do a dipped basket and NOT kick it up even another notch!… yep… gold leaf dots!…

Because of the basket weave getting the perfect round dot is not easily… so I went with a freehanded dot, not a measured out dot… and I love the results! There is something special about the freehanded dots!

Now if you’re using gold paint you could get a round sponge brush and just apply dots of paint… and any colour you choose… it doesn’t just have to be gold… Where the gold gets exciting is if you are using gold leaf to create a true metallic polka dot pattern!

To get the gold leaf to adhere to the basket you have to use a product called adhesive size… for a full gold leaf tutorial you checkout my how to gold leaf blogpost… but you don’t need that much detail to do these quick and dirty dots… this is just if you want to know more about the gold leafing process than what I’m telling you right here 🙂

Using a small paint brush paint on the adhesive size dots being careful not to apply too much… we don’t want the adhesive size to run outside of the painted dot shape… The size does go on milky but will become glossy and tacky… once it is glossy and tacky it is ready for you to apply the gold leaf!

Because these are small dots I didn’t get too fussy with the leaf… Make sure your hands are good and dry and tear small pieces of gold leaf to cover the dots. Press and rub the leaf pieces onto the glossy size dots on the basket… use a soft cloth to gently press/rub the gold leaf pieces to make sure they’re good and adhered!

Once they’ve all been rubbed into place use a clean brush to bush away the excess leaf to reveal your darling dots…

VOILA! darling little gilded dot!…

…now get to brushing and remove all of the excess leaf… Working on a towel will help to catch the leaf bits that you’ll be brushing off… and try not to work near a fan or an open window if it is breezy out… those little loose bits of leaf will go flying!

EEEK! Look at that gold just pop in the light!… at first I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to get a small perfect dot on the belly basket weave but once I saw how they turned out, by free handing the adhesive size dots, I was quite pleased at how natural and “just right” they looked!

Here’s a little reminder of the belly basket before…

and after:

I can’t wait to see what colour/pompom combos you come up with for your home!… Here are some pin options for you to save this project for later!

Be sure to come on over to the Feathering My Nest Facebook page to share photos of your belly baskets in progress and finished! Or tag @featheringmynest on Instagram posts of your baskets so that I can see and share with everyone there!

Back in January I took part in the Calgary Renovation Show Great Crate Challenge… five local influencers were given two wood crates and a $50 budget to come up with something fun to be displayed at the show!… being as practical as I am I wanted to make something that was really functional and good looking… Seeing the crates I instantly knew what I wanted to create… a rolling crate storage ottoman that could be used as additional seating…

I applied glue to one side of each of the crates, pressed the glue sides together, and secured them with a clamp until they had dried… I cut down a wood plank to the exact size of the bottoms of the two crates once they were together… this would give much needed stability to the thin sided crates and create a solid base for screwing in the little casters.

You can see in the above shot I also cut a plank for the base of the top cushion that would becoming the ottoman cover and seat. I used the solid wood plank for the top, as well, for stability for the overall ottoman… it needed to hold an adult sitting on it, in my mind, for it to be really functional. Now this top plank I cut down just a little smaller than the full size of the top as I planned to upholster it and didn’t want the top cushion hanging out all over the top like a giant mushroom cap BUT I ensured it was large enough that it wouldn’t fall inside of the crate edges.

I was unable to turn up a thicker foam for the top, on my supply shopping adventure, so I purchased a roll of thinner foam and planned to layer it to build up an aesthetically pleasing thickness for the ottoman cushion top… I used the top plank as the measurement guide for the the foam rectangles and traced out the shape… then with a large sharp exact-o knife and cutting mat I cut the foam pieces out.

Now to make sure it was really comfy I also used some quilt batting over top of the foam… this batting was also used to help hold the foam on the top of the top plank into place… Once the two pieces of foam were lined up on the top plank of wood I wrapped the batting over top, down the sides, and then under my top plank, where I secured it into place with staples… cutting away excess bulk at the corners – essentially miter joint at each corner with the batting 🙂 The batting is very forgiving here… staple it down then cut away… or cut and staple… whichever you way you can manipulate the material more easily.

For the fabric I chose to work with burlap… it would help me to achieve the overall look I was going for… when working with burlap I like to line all of the pieces with fabric to keep the seams and burlap stable as burlap can get a little out of control at times… I also always iron the burlap pieces like you should with any fabric when sewing… but not with the iron we use for our clothes – depending on the burlap you pickup it can be a little stinky (fabric store burlap is much nicer than hardware store burlap 😉 but it all depends on how rustic a look you are going for)

I cut the following pieces 1″ + my seam allowance, larger than the actual size required to create a tight cushion that would fit snugly on the foam and plank top, as I wanted to create a pinched edge around all sides and corners of the upholstered top:

1 top in burlap/1 top in liner fabric (I used an old bed sheet for the liner fabric)

2 long sides burlap / 2 long sides in liner fabric

2 short sides in burlap / 2 short sides in liner fabric

2 long sides 6″ wide in burlap / 2 long side 6″ wide in liner fabric – for the bottom of the cushion

2 short sides 6″ wide in burlap / 2 short side 6″ wide in liner fabric – for the bottom of the cushion

As I wanted a clean top cushion and to be able to pull the cover that I was sewing down over the top of the batting, cushion, and board I didn’t have a solid bottom – just four strips that were sewn along the long sides… this turned into some finicky hand sewing and cutting away excess fabric at the bottom to mitre the fabric in at the corners to keep the bulk down and to create a nice finished look… Once the cover had the top and sides sewn together I sewed the 6″ wide strips to the bottom edges – along the sides only leaving them hanging from the bottom to be pulled under, mitred and those mitred seams in from the corners on the underside sewn down by hand.

Before attaching the cushion cover to the bottom off the plank I placed the cover over top, pinched the edges of the fabric around the top and hand stitched a seam on the outside of the fabric at 1″ in from the edge all the way around the top of the cushion and also at the four corners… to create the flange you see around the cushion… then I did the same all the way around the bottom edge… it’s a little finicky with the underside pieces being loose but I was achieving the look I was after.

Once I created the 1″ pinched seams around all the edges the cover was snug to the padded cushion… now the bottom mitred seams could be done and the cover would stay put on the cushion… once the mitres were sorted, excess fabric snipped away, and all sewn down I stapled the edge of the fabric to additionally secure the fabric cover to the cushion… if you want to get super tight here you could cut a rectangle to cover the opening… hand sewing the edge down to the underside of the cushion.

I’m sure there are other ways to achieve this same look by leaving open other edges and hand sewing those closed after getting the plank/foam/batting stuffed in but for me, at midnight, this is what my brain turned up 😉 and the ottoman cushion top was complete!

PAINT!… As shown up above… the little can of FAT… I did my paint wash style of painting for this crate to give it a greyed old weathered wood look… I watered down my chosen colour and applied it all over the crate… it does go on darker and lighten as it dries… when doing paint washes I always recommend doing a test piece to ensure you’ve created a wash that will give you the results you want even as far as applying any finish that you plan to use over top as finishes like waxes or clear coats over a paint wash can change the look of the dried paint wash… for this rustic crate I did not seal the finish once it had dired… no wax and no clear… the wood was slightly rough which played perfect in with the old weathered crate look 🙂

The colour of the wood worked perfectly with the burlap. The weight of the top seat/cover combined with the roughness of fabric and wood, and the little 1″ handsewn flange around the edge holds the cushion perfectly in place… it is easily lifts off as the cover is snug on the cushion, and sturdy, yet comfy for an adult to sit upon!…

And of course it was Oliver tested and approved before going on display at the Home Renovation Show! 😉

After the Home Renovation Show one lucky attendee won this ottoman! I have to admit I was sad to have to let her go… I’ll have to whip up one for our nest!

Have you created anything fun with crates? I want to hear all about it! Leave me a comment below… and a link to your website with your project! Can’t wait to see!… Sharing this one over at Costal Charm – who doesn’t like a fun link party!?

This is a fun set of reveals that I’m going to share over two different DIY posts! The first post will show you how to Gold Leaf!… how to prep, apply, seal, and even glaze gold leaf!…

Early in the new year I joined a group of bloggers to do a Thrift Store Swap! What’s a Thrift Store Swap you ask!?…

Basically we each found items at a thrift shop to send onto another member of the group and we had to relove whatever we received, that someone else picked out for us! We gave ourselves a month to repurpose the items and now we’re all sharing what we received and what we turned those items into!

The items I picked up to ship onto one of the swap members, Sammi, were these darling black and gold storage containers (I would have liked to have kept them!)… and a collection of metal pails… along with a couple that I’d had on hand myself in my stash already! To see what Sammi has created from her swap items be sure to check out her reveal post over on her blog!

The items that came to me, all the way from jolly ol’ England, were theses great hand turned wooden goblets with spindle tops, and a great piece of light canvas… when I unfold the canvas I discovered that it was a curtain panel!… These wood goblets were the perfect candidates to become gilded succulent holders! The light canvas curtain!? to see what that will become be sure to check back in a few days for that second reveal an DIY!… Continue Reading

I love a little faux fur… Its a great way to add warmth and whimsy to your everyday!… so I created this muppet looking faux fur wine bottle holder and tutorial to share with you… it would be a fun hostess gift for the next dinner party you attend, or perhaps even a fun GALentines present for your bestie and a fun girls night in this coming Valentines day!… There are so many variations of fur that you can get from realistic to downright muppet looking…

Let’s get right to it. For this DIY you will need:

Faux Fur and matching thread – we will cut a 10.5″ x 16.5″ rectangle and a circle with a 10.5″ circumference

Bottom Circle Pattern – download here – print out at full size and trace out then cut out a faux fur circle to use as the bottom of your wine bottle holder

Ribbon – to tie the holder around the neck of the bottle. I worked with a 20″ piece… if you find it is too long after you can trim the ends to your preferred lengths

Rular

Scissors

Pins

Sewing Machine

Sewing Needle

Wine

This faux fur wine bottle holder was made for your standard size bottle of wine… if you choose to make this for a champagne bottle or any other larger bottles you may have to increase the size of your rectangle and bottom circle. The width dimension of the faux fur rectangle is 10.5″ and the height of the rectangle is 16.5″

There is a trick to cutting faux fur… You don’t want to snip away the fur, so after you’ve marked on your rectangle for cutting, use scissors to cut the pieces out… BUT when you cut the fabric have the backside of the fabric up and cut only the fabric back letting the lower blade of the scissors slide between the fur.

Once your rectangle and circle are cut pin those pieces together… decide if you want your fur going up or down… whichever direction you decide will determine the bottom of your faux fur wine bottle holder… Start the first pin 1/4″ in from the rectangle edge.

When pinning pieces of faux fur together work slowly and push the faux fur down and inside/away from the edge… this will ensure that your fur doesn’t get trapped in the sewn seam…

Working all the way around the circle pin the faux fur wine bottle hold bottom into place… We’ll deal with the vertical seam shortly… the faux fur is pretty forgiving so this will work up nicely.

For the sizes of piece cut for this faux fur wine bottle holder I worked with a 1/4″ seam allowance… its just nice and easy to use the edge of the presser foot as the guide I find 🙂

Start sewing the circle 1/4″ away from the edge of the rectangle and stop 1/4″ away from the other edge when you get around to it. Sewing the thick fabric pieces together can be a little tedious but just work slowly… you’ll be all around the circle in no time…

Once you’re around the circle remove the bottom pins and then pin up the open vertical edges of the faux fur wine bottle holder…

Now as you work up the side don’t forget to pin your ribbon tie into place!…

Fold your ribbon in half… and tuck the tails inside of the faux fur tube… the tails go inside now so that when the wine bottle holder is turned right side out the ribbon tails are right where they need to be… below you can see that the ribbon fold is up through the pinned edge of the faux fur wine bottle holder.

For the dimension here I placed the ribbon at about 13.5″ up the side… depending on where the neck of your bottle starts you can adjust this dimension to suit your bottle!

Once everything is pinned into place sew up the side using your 1/4″ seam allowance.

Once all is sewn and threads are trimmed turn that sucker right side out!

There you have it! Your sewn wine bottle holder with ribbon tie!… but wait!…

…if you wish to leave the cut edge at the top it will hold and not fray BUT if you want to kick it up a notch and give it a special finishing touch I recommend hand stitching the top edge back down to the inside of the faux fur wine bottle holder… This creates a finished edge and makes your work look pro.

…you don’t have to fold over and sew down much… just the edge that you can pickup with your needle… enough for the faux fur to fold over the top edge creating a full faux fur frenzy right to the top of your faux fur wine bottle holder!

Here is a bottle of the Canadian Red Rooster Winery Red Cab Merlot for one of my gal pals for galantines… a bottle of wine is a great gift… but look how fun it becomes when you pop it into a muppet faux fur wine bottle holder!

Or as mentioned this would be a fun wintery hostess gift kicked up a notch!…

Okay now get your tushies out to the nearest fabric shop to hunt down some faux fur for your very own wine bottle holders!…

And be sure to come on over to the Feathering My Nest Facebook page and share photos of your faux fur wine bottle holders with everyone over there! I can’t wait to see what fur and ribbon combinations you come up with… and to hear about the gift giving occasion you used it for!… AND to hear about the reaction to your lovely handmade gift!

CHEERS BABES!

Oh and if you enjoyed this DIY be sure to subscribe to receive these blog posts right to your inbox when I hit publish by popping your email address into the box in the right hand column at the top of this page! And if you want to pin with me come on over to the FMN page on Pinterest! See you there babes!